Hypertension with just one blood pressure test? -

I was at wal-mart and my friend and I were messing around and I decided to take my blood pressure, something I hadn t done in a long time. It came out to be like 130/80 or something like that, which according to the chart meant I had Stage 1 Hypertension. I guess what I am asking is whether or not your blood pressure fluctuates depending on if you haven t eaten, or just worked out, or other factors... or if it stays the same. In other words, does this mean I have hypertension or could it just be an abnormal test result (because I had never had problems with it before).

I don t think there s anything to worry about. I thought a reading of 120/80 is normal or quot;goodquot;. I had mine checked by my GP the other day and it was 170/30, which is waaayyy not good (170). But I was excited that day, so I think that is what caused it to spike. I normally have very low pressure and rate. Doctors have been saying for years now too, not to trust those in-store pressure readings, as they are not accurate. Always check with your doctor when it comes to your health.

You are ok. Don t believe everything you read. Hypertension startes at 140-90 or higher. Your blood pressure is great.

You can t diagnosis hypertension with just one reading because, as you noted, it can fluctuate greatly during the day. Also those blood pressure cuffs in Wal-mart can be very inaccurate. You should have your doctor check your blood pressure during you annual checkups and if it remains high, then you may have hypertension.